India signs historic border pact with Bangladesh

IANS | June 6, 2015 10:45 am

India and Bangladesh on Saturday ratified the Land Boundary Agreement here as India’s Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his Bangladeshi counterpart Sheikh Hasina presided over the ceremony of exchange of instruments of ratification of the land swap.

"History is made as the Instruments of Ratification of the Land Boundary Agreement are exchanged," Modi tweeted.

Apart from the historic agreement, the Kolkata-Dhaka-Agartala and Dhaka-Shillong-Guwahati bus services were also flagged off by the two heads of the countries along with West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee.

Prior to flagging of the services, the three leaders boarded the buses and greeted the passengers.

The Kolkata-Dhaka-Agartala service will reduce the travel time between the capitals of India’s West Bengal and Tripura states by one-third

Modi reached Bangladesh earlier in the day on a two-day visit. He was received by Hasina at the Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport here.

Upon his arrival, he visited the National Martyrs’ Memorial to pay tribute to the soldiers who died in the Bangladesh Liberation War of 1971.

In his second engagement of the day here, Modi visited the Bangabandhu Memorial Museum to pay tribute to the founder of Bangladesh, Sheikh Mujibur Rahman.

India and Bangladesh will exchange instruments of ratification of the land boundary agreement later in the day.Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his Bangladeshi counterpart Sheikh Hasina on Saturday signed the land boundary agreement between the countries.

Apart from the historic agreement, the Kolkata-Dhaka-Agartala and Dhaka-Shillong-Guwahati bus services was also flagged off by the wo heads of the countries along with West Bengal Chief Minister Mamta Banerjee.